The Horizon
by Syncop8ed Rhythm
Summary: Could he do nothing right when it came to Juliet? Another chance, and he'd come off looking like an idiot. And now it was just him...and the horizon. And it had been such a long time since he had gone to meet that horizon.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Psych.

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Could he do nothing right when it came to Juliet? Shawn crossed his arms and leaned back against his bike, his eyes distant. He was looking out across the ocean, looking at the horizon, but seeing nothing. Nothing, except for another chance with Juliet slipping through his fingers. Another chance, and he'd come off looking like an idiot. His jaw clenched. Contrary to what everyone thought, he wasn't an idiot. Usually. He'd concede that he'd done some…less than intelligent things in his life, but hey! He was _living_ life.

"_Come on Jules. Don't go out with him! Come with me! I've got a pineapple, some awesome 80's movies, popcorn, some more pineapple…what more could we need?" _ He'd been at it all day, mostly because he could tell she was in a bad mood. The circles under her eyes told him she hadn't been getting enough sleep. That probably had to do with the case file she'd been going through lately. He knew what it was, even if she hid it whenever she saw him. The Yin/Yang case. The fact that she had the guts to go through the file, despite what she'd been through, made him fall a little harder for her. And when he'd found out she would be going on a date that night, he'd been jealous-he could admit that. But the guy was all wrong for her, Shawn just knew. They'd met during this last case-and couldn't she see the things this guy did to make her laugh were just going to get on her nerves as the night wore on?

Besides, _Shawn _wanted to make her laugh, make her forget her nightmares. _"Come on, Jules! You don't like this guy, not really." _He hadn't been trying to annoy her; he'd been serious, genuine. Apparently she'd had it with him, though. _"Shawn, enough! I'm going out tonight! It's not my fault you don't have a date because you and Abigail broke up! Now leave me alone!" _And she spun around, to sit at her desk, leaving Shaun to stand there, speechless. He hadn't wanted to break up with Abbs, had in fact been willing to compromise with her, but she was scared. He didn't blame her.

That had been a low blow, on Juliet's part. He could still feel that tortured feeling he'd had that night, realizing it was _his _fault that both women had been targeted. It would have been so much easier if Yin had just taken Shawn.

He closed his eyes, just listening to the sea. Even on the calmest of days, the sea could still be restless. Just like him. He opened his eyes and took a few steps forward. It was dark now, but it didn't matter. He still wanted to slip his shoes off and stand on the beach; maybe pretend the horizon wasn't as far away as it seemed…He heard a laugh, and froze. He knew that voice. Of their own accord, his eyes darted around, looking. A couple passed underneath one of the lights near the boardwalk. It was Juliet…and her date. And she seemed to be having a nice time. Well…good for her. Juliet turned her head, and stopped walking. She'd seen him. It might have been dark, but he knew she still recognized him. Wonderful. Shawn scowled before he turned around and jumped on his bike. He pulled his helmet on and started the engine, planning on leaving the beach-and Juliet-behind him. So he did.

He'd just wanted some time to himself! That was all. A few hours of peace, and he could pack away his feelings, ready to be Shawn the jokester again. It felt like he'd been blindsided once more when he saw her tonight; all of that work he'd done to shake her comments off-ruined. His thoughts turned to the horizon he'd been so fascinated with tonight.

He could go. By boat, by plane, by bike, it didn't matter-as long as he could just…go. The only things holding him back were Gus and his dad. He cursed the flash of memory that showed him Juliet's face. Yeah, her too.

He pulled into his father's driveway, mind made up. His dad wasn't home, he was at a poker game, but it didn't matter. He could say what he wanted to, what he needed to, in a note. Well, two notes. His dad would make sure Gus got his letter. When he finished that task, he made one more stop by his apartment, putting what he needed into his backpack, before jumping onto his bike once more.

He wasn't leaving because of what Juliet had said. Well, that wasn't the only reason at least. He hadn't taken much time for himself after the Yin fiasco. He had stayed, trying to be available to help Juliet recover, and he'd gone through each of the crime scenes multiple times, searching for a clue, a lead, anything…No, he could have left then, but he stayed. He shook his head; he'd actually been proud of himself for not leaving. He thought he was being helpful. He stared at the road grimly. Well, there went that feeling.

There was the sign. _You Are Now Leaving the City of Santa Barbara. _ He lifted his hand from the bike and saluted the sign. Freedom. He thought through the letter he'd left his father.

_Dad-_

_I'm going away for a few days. We don't have any cases right now, so I won't be missed. There are some friends up the coast that have been trying to get me to come up, and now seems as good a time as any to go. I'll be back in a few days-a week at the most._

_Shawn_

He wouldn't be leaving forever. He'd be back. Eventually. For now, it was just him…and the horizon.

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AN: This was my first Psych fic. I'm a little excited and would love to hear what you guys thought! I was going to finish this here, but I can see this from Juliet's POV. Let me know if you're interested.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome! And to WKA, I tried to write the POV from Gus and Henry, but didn't think I was doing them justice. Sorry!

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What had she been thinking? Juliet rested her head in her hands, letting the sound of the police station roll over her. Shawn hadn't deserved to be snapped at like that. Truth was, she was tired and on edge. And with the possible exception of Lassiter, Shawn was the only one who had noticed. He'd been doing goofy things for the last few days, all with the goal to make her laugh. She could tell. Even if she wasn't watching him when he pulled a stunt, she still caught him in her periphery. Which meant she also saw when he glanced at her, to see if she'd been watching or to see if he had made her smile.

She needed a break; she knew she did. So when she'd been asked on a date, she'd latched on to the idea like a life preserver. She wanted one night where she didn't obsess over the Yin/Yang files, one hopefully nice night to chase away all of the negative feelings that were building in her.

Darn Shawn, for trying to take her night of freedom away from her. It didn't matter that he had offered to take her out instead, she had been counting on that date for days, and he was trying to get her to cancel it. And darn Shawn…for not asking her out first.

"_Shawn, enough! I'm going out tonight! It's not my fault you don't have a date because you and Abigail broke up! Now leave me alone!"_

She'd gone too far. She knew she had, as soon as the words left her mouth. Shawn's mouth fell open in shock. Hurt flashed across his face, as the warmth and humor that made his eyes dance, dimmed. She'd felt her stomach twist as she saw his always expressive face go blank. Juliet had left him like that, spinning around to return to her desk. The next time she looked up, he was gone.

Juliet huffed as she shifted in her seat. She should have known her date wouldn't go well, after that. She had thought about Shawn the entire night. In fact, when she and her date had reached the beach that night, he had made a comment about how…unfocused she was. She remembered the comment had been funny, an attempt to draw her out, and it had worked. She'd laughed. Right until she saw the dark figure on the beach, which caused her to promptly forget exactly what her date had just said. Even though it was dark, she could see him. Not well enough to see what emotions were playing across his face, but she didn't need to. His abrupt departure on his bike told her everything she needed to know.

Juliet had tried to call him that night and the next day. It went straight to voicemail. Eventually, she called Gus.

"Burton Guster."

"Gus, it's me."

"Hey, Juliet."

His usually up-beat voice was now tired and dull. And she knew. Shawn had left. She still had to ask, though; that little bubble of hope almost impossible to burst. "Have you seen Shawn?"

Gus cleared his throat before answering. "Well, uh, Shawn's visiting some friends. Up the coast. He said he'd be gone a few days."

Juliet's eyes had closed when she heard this. "How long will he really be gone?"

Gus hesitated before saying, "You sound like you have an idea as to why Shawn's taking some time off." He waited for Juliet to answer, but she couldn't confess that is was her fault that he had left, that she had been unaccountably cruel to him. When she didn't reply, Gus answered her question. "Before he had Psych, I would say a few days would actually be a few months. Now, a week…may just be a week."

Juliet's gaze fell to her calendar. That phone call had been a week and a day ago. She shoved back her chair, ready to leave the building for a break. She wasn't getting any work done anyways. Maybe she'd grab some lunch and a pineapple smoothie, and give herself enough time to pack away her guilt. Maybe she'd tell Buzz to trace Shawn's cell-phone and she'd drive to wherever he was staying.

Could she do nothing right when it came to Shawn? First, she turned him down repeatedly; then she asked him on a date _when he was already on one, _and now this.

He wasn't coming back. Not anytime soon. She needed to accept that, and move on.

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AN: Huh. Didn't really resolve anything here. Good thing I have another chapter to put up soon :) All reviews are appreciated and totally make my day!


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks to everyone who alerted and favorited this story. A special shout-out to iLoveRomance2010, who left a review for chapter 2! This is the final chapter. Enjoy, everyone!

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Shawn pulled into the parking spot and pulled off his helmet. Tapping his fingers against it, he gazed at the building. _"Enough, Shawn!" _She had been so anxious, so frustrated and angry, and a part of him had wanted to leave, and keep on going. Not because she had gotten angry. That first night when he had left…he had needed some time. He had been surprisingly hurt by her words and just wanted to take a few days to get over it. After he was on the road, however, all he could see was the slump to her shoulders, the dark shadows under her eyes, the way her smiles had been forced…and his reasons had become much less selfish. Jules was on edge because of the Yin/Yang case. Yang had started her game because she felt Shawn was a worthy opponent. Yin had targeted Jules because she was important to Shawn. So Shawn decided to leave for good. If Shawn wasn't in Santa Barbara, wasn't near Juliet, then Yin would never touch her again. With all luck, Yin would follow Shawn. And Shawn was fine with that.

It wasn't until a few days into his trip that Shawn realized he couldn't take that chance. He couldn't take the chance that Yin would follow him. There was every possibility that Yin would target his family, his friends, and Juliet again-even if Shawn wasn't around. Shawn couldn't do it. He couldn't stand the idea that he could be halfway around the world and not in Santa Barbara to watch out for his family and friends. After all, _Shawn _was the only one who had beaten them at their game, and he had to stay so he could protect the people he cared about, so he could protect Juliet.

Gus' car pulled up beside Shawn as he got off his bike. Shawn had only been gone a week, and had actually dropped in on his father the night before. He wasn't sure how his dad had known he would be coming, since Shawn hadn't called him or Gus, but his dad had just clapped Shawn on the shoulder and led him to the table, which had already been set for two. His father's relief was well-hidden, but Gus' hadn't been. Shawn smirked as he rubbed the shoulder Gus had repeatedly punched the night before, after Shawn had shown up at his place.

Gus walked up to Shawn, his gaze shooting to the building before returning to him. "You ready?"

Shawn twisted his lips before replying. "Yeah. Let's go."

They were at the police department, of course. The official reason was that he and Gus were looking for a case. Unofficially, it was so Shawn could see Jules. When they walked into the building, she didn't notice them. Shawn's pace quickened when he saw she had her face buried in her hands. Was she okay? He saw her shake her head and push up from the desk. They both froze when Juliet's eyes fell on him. When she didn't turn away, or worse yet, look like she was going to snap at him again, he finished walking over to her. "Hey, Jules." He smiled and put his hand in his pocket.

"Shawn," she breathed, "I am _so _s-"

"I've got something for you," he said, deliberately cutting off her apology as he pulled his hand out. He waggled his eyebrows at her and held out his hand, more than a little relieved when she gave a slight laugh. She held out her hand and Shawn placed a little pineapple on her palm. She smiled as she looked back up at him.

"It's one of those stress reliever thingies. You won't believe me when I tell you how many places I had to go to find one shaped like a pineapple. Can you believe that this isn't a popular item? I mean, it's a pineapple!" He was babbling; he knew he was, but he couldn't stop. It was worth it, though, when she laughed and touched his arm for a quick moment.

Looking him square in the eye, she said, "Thank you."

Shawn's smile grew, "You're welcome, Jules."

"Oh great, Wonderboy's back, "Lassiter mumbled as he walked to his desk.

"Lassie! Did you miss me?"

"Like a hole in my head, Spencer."

Shawn tilted his head, "Really? That much? Jules, I think I'm growing on him!"

She just shook her head and sat back down at her desk, and Shawn noticed she was unable to stop grinning as she watched the two of them bicker. Shawn threw back his head in laughter at one of Lassiter's insults. He couldn't help himself. Everything was just a little brighter when Jules was smiling at him like that.

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AN: Let me know what you thought of it! Oh, and keep an eye out. I have a few stories in the works for Psych.


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